'I Knew It Was Going To Be A Really Important Show': Jason Genao On Netflix's 'On My Block'
(CBS Local)-- Jersey City resident Jason Genao is starting to carve out a spot for himself in Hollywood.
Genao stars as Ruby Martinez on Netflix's "On My Block" and has been on other shows like "The Get Down" and CBS's "God Friended Me." The 23-year-old is excited for fans to check out season three of the Netflix series about a group of friends navigating their way through high school.
"As an actor, the coolest part of the show is the way it evolves," said Genao in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "The way my character Ruby evolves lets me explore so many aspects of comedy and drama and all these different styles of Ruby's character. It's like doing 10 movies in one."
Although Genao is in his 20s, he says he's still a teenager in his mind. The actor knew he would be playing younger characters at the beginning of his career and he's totally cool with it.
"That never fazes me, I know exactly what is going to go down," said Genao. "I do think about my teenage years when I'm filming. I think about what was I doing in high school as opposed to what I would do as an adult. I don't want to make Ruby too mature."
One of Genao's favorite parts of "On My Block" is that the show is not afraid to tackle important topics like class, race, and mental health.
"Going into it, I knew it was going to be a really impactful and important show and that's why I wanted to be a part of it," said Genao. "I never knew the take it would have on society and I think a lot of people like me don't want to be a role model, it is just put upon you and I have no problem with that. I didn't go into it thinking I want to be a role model for kids. Now being Ruby, I fully taken on that responsibility knowing that he's a point of view for people that they've never seen on television before."
"On My Block" is streaming now on Netflix.